Ladder



' s. c. HOEN.

LADDER.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 4, I921.

1,412,179. 7 Patented Apr. 11; 1922.

gnvcnror ladder.

n Flg. 2. V

UNIT D slT-Tsrrr SAMUEL o. HOEN, or en PAU-L,,MI1\TNESOTA;=

:4 Application filed April 4,

To all whom/it may cor/warn."

Be it known thatI, SAMUEL C. Hons, a citizen of the United States, residin at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and tate of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Ladder, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ladders of the kind having rungs or steps frictionally held at any point on' the ladder rails to which they are moved usually by the feet standing on them; and the object isto provide a ladder of said type with several improvements.

In the accompanying drawingzf. I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved ladder and a plank supported upon its steps. Fig. 2 is a front elevationof Fig. 1..

Fig. 3 is an enlarged rear-view of the top portion of the ladder as on the'line 3-'3 in ig. 1. :4 U j Fig. leis an enlarged section on line4 4 Fig. 5 isan enlarged section on line 5+5 in Fig. 1. I I

Fig. (Sis a section on line 6-6 inFigsQ.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 in Fig.1.

Fig. 8 is a sectionon line 88 in Figs. "2 and 9, with the pail50 omitted, the same as in Fig. 2.-

Fig. 9 is a sideview of a portion of the ladder showing a movable bracket held on it and supporting a paint pail.

Fig. 10 is'a section on line 1010 in Fig. 7 1 with many parts omitted. V

Fig. 11 is a detail rear elevation of one of the sliding frames holding the steps of the Fig. 12 is a top view of Fig. 11.- Referring to the drawing by, reference numerals, 1a, 14 designate the two parallel rails or uprights of the ladder; which have their upper ends secured together by a horizontal offset brace 15 and the lower ends secured in a horizontal foot piece 16 which projects some distance beyond the rails and is further secured to the latter by an arched brace 17 7 Each rail 1% is stiffened by a-truss rod 18 extending through brackets 19 and having its ends secured at 20 upon the rear side of the rail. lVhen the ladder is leaning rearwardly it is supported bya prop 21 having itsbifurcatedtop end pivoted at 22 to the angular offsets of the brace bar 15. Further down the prop is provided with an eye-bolt 23 carrying a long hook rod 24: and a short one 25.- The longerrod is adapted to be hooked into a hole in one of 'the lower ets 19, as at 26in Fig. 1 for 'holding the prop properly spread" away from the ladder.

The shorter hook serves to hold the ladder Specification of nausea tear? .Pat'ented Apr;

in folded position as will presently be more fully described. a v

The ladder may have several 'foot rests or steps, but I have shown only one step 27 on each rail. These stepsbei'ng alike I need describe only one ofthem. The step proper metal pivoted near; one end on a horizontal pivot bar 28*of aslidable metallic yoke'or frame composed of "said pivot bar 28, its

of'thus clamping the frameso firmly tothe upright that 1t cannot slip downward even when loaded by one or more persons stand- 1: upon the steps.

37 is a very llmber coil spring serving to hold the step down so it can not accidentally flap upward and lose its grip-onthe upright;

on it, or on a plank 'placed as36-in Fig.v

.is preferably a channeled piece of sheet of the frame; Said plategmay move slightly? a and froin'the'rail when '':the step is swung 'abovet'hori'zontal J position, but. if the step is down jto. approximately "horizontal position "its cam shaped end 351 presses the plate against thefront side of the upright and pullsthe bars 3l against' the rear sides there- When the operator, standing with one foot" 1 on each step, desires to raise the step and climb-upward he lets a wire bail 38, which is. pivoted to the step, engage "over the toe portion of his foot or shoe (see Fig. 4) and can thus raise one step at a time and walk up like he would any-other ladder; When a plank is tobe placed on a step as a scafiold V the bail 38 is leaned forward out of theway as .in Fig. 1. In the latter view is also shown that theprop 21 may haveits' hook released.

and be swung as 21* to any'desired horizontal position to find support in stairways.

or similar places.

Upon the front of the lower part of the ladder I pivot at. 39 the arms of a Ushaped supporting br'ace40, upon which is slidably mounted a cross bar 41- (see Fig. 7 adapted when tilted to engage the brace 40 frictionally. Saidbar or plate 41 has a downward projection l carryinfg a rod 42' hav I ing an eye 43 adapted to be placed on a hook 44 in the base 16. The upper portion of the plate 41 is formed with a horizontal wing 45 having three fingers 46, 47, 48 which keep in place a bow-shaped leaf spring 49 the function of which is to hold the plate 7 41 normally in frictional engagement with the brace and thereby hold the latter in sup porting and bracing contact with the ground or floor on which the ladder stands, though the angle between the floor and the ladder may be much varied or the ladder may in some cases have to stand almost in vertical position. V

In Fig. 9 is shown a paint pot 50 or other container which may be supported on a bracket 51 having a hook 52 and a pair of jaws loosely embracing one of the uprightsand adapted to engage it frictionally whenever the bracket is pressed downward by its own weight or of the pail suspended on it. To make the hooks or jaws 53 fit uprights of different sizes. I make the bracket arm bifurcated at 54 and embrace it by aslidable ring 55 which may also be open in one side and haveits ends drawn more or less together by a screw 56.

When the ladder is folded for storing or transportation the steps are folded upward as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. 'The leg is also folded upward until its cross bar 41 bears with its'end portions against the steps'to hold them folded. In this position the parts are secured by the short hook 25 engaging the looped end of the brace '40 (see Fig. 2).

I It will be" noted that the pail hanger 51 has a gap 54 and each step supporting frame has a gap 54" as clearance for the brackets 19 and the ends of the truss rods 18 in removing and replacing over the top end of each upright said slidable parts whenever so desired for repair or other purposes.

lVhat I claim is: j

l. The combination with the lower front side portion of the uprights of a. ladder having a horizontal base bar of a U-shaped brace having its arms hinged to the ladder and its loop end adapted to be swung upward parallel to the uprights or downward as a support upon the floor or other surface on'which the ladder stands, a cross bar slidable on the brace and having a downward projection, a brace rod arranged for hitching said projection to the base bar, and a spring acting on the cross bar to normally tilt it into frictional engagement with the brace it slides on, said brace rod tending to increase said frictional contact whenever it is subjected to pulling strain by the contact of the main brace with the floor.

2. The structure specified in claim 1-, and friction held upwardly foldable steps normally projecting forward one from each upright of the ladder said cross bar on the frontal brace being long enough to engage and hold the steps in folded position when the ladder is idle, k the frontal brace in said upwardly folded position.

'In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

SAMUEL C. HOZEN.

and means for holding: 

